Pentagon's Panetta Rescinds Regulation

By

Julian E. Barnes

Updated Jan. 24, 2013 7:11 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON—Defense Secretary Leon Panetta signed an order Thursday striking down the two-decade-old rule excluding women from combat positions in the military, a move that will eventually open thousands of new jobs on the front lines.

The new policy recognizes that in modern warfare, everyone in a combat zone is on the front lines, Mr....